What to do if the cartridge leaks. Possible malfunctions of inkjet printer cartridges and ways to eliminate them. Why is the cartridge leaking?

Question: What is this topic about?
Answer: This section discusses issues of operation, refilling, repair and compatibility of cartridges with various types office equipment.

Question: Is it possible to refill the ink tank?
Answer: In general, killing the printer head is not easy, but VERY EASY. This is especially true Epson printers, for which it is even dangerous to use non-original inkwells. You can refill it, but you must remember that without serious consequences for the printer, the head can be left without an ink tank for no more than a minute. The ink must be of high quality. Fill the ink slowly so that the sponge in the inkwell is evenly saturated. If the ink tank has a chip, you will have to buy or solder a resetter to reset the chip. We recommend installing normal cartridges (or original ones, or Print-Rite, Fullmark - cheap and cheerful).

Question: Why does my cartridge leak after refilling with a refill kit?
Answer: You probably inserted the needle into the wrong hole, or inserted it too deep. In both cases, this leads to piercing of the air bags located inside the housing and loss of pressure. This failure is irreparable.

Question: Why is the HP 51629a cartridge, when dry, much more difficult to clean than the HP 51626a cartridge?
Answer: This is due to the fact that the 29th cartridge, unlike the 26th, uses pigmented ink, which when dried forms a dry pigment residue. And if the cartridge is used completely (as they say “all the way”), then this residue clogs not only the nozzles, but also the internal channel through which ink enters the nozzles. And it is much more difficult to clean it.
Therefore, it is recommended to refill this cartridge and similar ones without waiting until the ink is completely used

Question: What are “broken nozzles” and why do they occur?
Answer: When broken nozzles appear, drops begin to leak through them in size and shape significantly different from the standard ones. On paper this is reflected in the appearance of “spikes” and irregularities in the letters.
The expansion of the nozzles is associated with the aging of the material of the ultra-thin plate on which they are drilled. This is greatly facilitated by constant heating by nearby thermistors.

Question: Accidentally spilled toner on clothes. What to do?
Answer: Under no circumstances should you wash it off with hot water; it will then eat into the fabric even more strongly. You can only wash off the toner with cold water. If toner gets on carpet or linoleum, then immediately remove the powder with a vacuum cleaner. If this is not done, then later the dirt can only be removed together with the carpet;-(.

Question: What is toner?
Answer: Toner is a coloring powder that is refilled in cartridges laser printers and duplicating devices based on xerography.
The composition of the toner is a combination of polymers, carbon, iron oxide, and inorganic additives. The composition of toner varies and may contain carcinogenic substances. In terms of the degree of harm to human health, it can be comparable to coal dust. Affects the respiratory system, causes irritation of the mucous membrane of the eyes, nasopharynx, and skin irritation. Precautionary measures when working with toner - availability of exhaust hood, ventilation, protective equipment (respirator, gloves). The toner particle size is in the range of 3-6 microns. Therefore, when working with toner, special filters and vacuum cleaners are used.

Question: For what reasons do thermistors burn out at individual nozzles on the cartridge?
Answer: This is due to these nozzles drying out. Ink is a coolant for thermistors. If the nozzle dries out, the thermistor does not cool, which leads to its overheating and failure (after all, voltage is still supplied to it despite the fact that the nozzle no longer prints)

Question: Is it possible to refill cartridges yourself?
Answer: It's up to you to refill the cartridge yourself or entrust this task to professionals. Self-refilling can harm the cartridge, the printer, your environment and your health. To make a decision, you need to have a little idea of ​​how this is done. This description is not a guide to refilling a cartridge, but was written to gain an understanding of refilling technology. In general, there is nothing complicated about refilling a cartridge. However, for everything to work out, you need to be an attentive and careful person, follow some refueling technology, which different models own cartridges.
So: where does refueling begin? Make a hole and add toner? No, you didn't guess. Refilling begins with disassembling the cartridge. This procedure is unique for each cartridge, and most likely you know it, or you can guess how to disassemble your cartridge, since you purchased the toner and decided to refill it yourself. Perhaps in the future we will describe on our website the technology for refueling some popular models. Disassembly is necessary in order to clean the cartridge not only from the outside, but also to put its insides in order. You've probably ever encountered a situation where you or someone you know had a cartridge refilled, and the printer began to stain the sheets after a while. Moreover, the image gets dirty over the entire area of ​​the sheet, and not just along the edges (this is a separate story, which we will talk about later). Do you know what this is connected with? The waste toner bin in the cartridge was simply not cleaned. It was safely filled with toner remnants and paper fluff. Now they are not cleaned off the drum, but are smeared onto it, and when they appear on the sheet they surprise you. We conclude: be sure to clean out the waste toner bin.
Further - more. I would advise you to also clean out any residue from the toner bin where you are going to add a fresh portion of powder. Why? Because toners come from different manufacturers, have different compositions, and also “garbage” is often found in the remaining toner, sifted out by the dosing system of the cartridge. Sometimes mixing toners of different compositions can lead to surprising effects - stars, waves or specks in the image, and other incidents. In short, don’t be lazy to move your hands once again.
So, the waste bin was cleaned and the toner was added. Now you need to clean the photoconductor, the charge shaft and the insides (sometimes there is such a store of hair, dust and crumbs in the cartridge that you are amazed). Take a felt flap (soft) and carefully, without scratching or “pawing” with your hands, remove the “age-old”; dust from the rubber charge shaft, if necessary, carefully wipe the drum. Put everything back in place and assemble the cartridge in the reverse order of disassembly. Don't forget the details on your workbench.
Insert it into the printer and enjoy it for your health. Oh, and speaking of health, try not to inhale the black clouds of toner - it's dangerous!
These operations were written primarily for Canon cartridges, HP LJ, but the principle of cleanliness and order must be observed when refueling any models.

Question: What toner is used when refilling cartridges?
Answer: We have been professionally refilling/remanufacturing cartridges for several years and in our work we use only high-quality materials and components that have stood the test of time.

Question: Will a refilled cartridge ruin my printer?
Answer: Many people believe that a refilled cartridge can ruin the printer. This is wrong. In a cartridge of printers from companies such as HP, Xerox, Canon, the entire set of printing elements subject to wear is located in the cartridge itself, and not in the printer.
The printer is independent of the cartridges it uses. Therefore, wear of the elements in the cartridge does not entail failure of the printer elements.

Question: Will printing on a refilled cartridge be different from printing on the original?
Answer: The cartridge resource is several times greater than one full print cycle. There will be no visible difference during the first or second refueling. Basically, the quality of printing on a refilled cartridge is determined by the condition of the photo roller. Extremely wears out the photo roll (the printer itself too) printing on bad paper or refilling with low-quality toner.

Question: When I next replaced the cartridge, I discovered that the inside of the printer is dirty with toner?
Answer: When the cartridge runs out, white streaks appear on the sheet. Usually, to eliminate them, the cartridge is shaken.
In this case, the toner spills out, but not out, but accumulates in various parts of the cartridge and spills out only when you start using it.

NO NEED TO SHAKE cartridge. There will still be enough leftovers for less than 100 sheets. Just replace the cartridge with a new one, or refill it.

Question: Why can one inkjet cartridge be refilled only once, while another, exactly the same, can be refilled several times?
Answer: Cartridges that have burnt thermistors or broken nozzles that cannot be repaired cannot be refilled.
There are many reasons why some cartridges last longer and others less:
Firstly, each cartridge and each of its parts has its own durability, which is set during the production of the cartridge and depends on many random factors (production tolerances, errors, etc.). Therefore, the same part in different cartridges can last for different times, even under the same operating conditions.
Secondly, all cartridges are used under different operating conditions (for example, some print very rarely and are more likely to dry out)

Question: How many times can a cartridge be refilled?
Answer: It all depends on the resource of the photo cartridge cartridge. For example, for HP LJ 5L/6L, the photo roll resource is 12,000 pages, and the cartridge prints up to 4,000 pages (at 5% coverage). Accordingly, during normal use of the cartridge, it can be refilled 2-3 times.

Question: Why refill cartridges when you can buy new ones?
Answer: Refilling cartridges can significantly reduce the cost of printing, as it is much cheaper than purchasing new consumables. However, the process of refilling cartridges is quite complex and requires special training from a specialist. That is, it is quite difficult to perform this procedure at home, since handicraft refilling of cartridges can result in not only a damaged case, but also a breakdown of the device, which will entail expensive printer repairs. In addition, to refill printers yourself, you will need a special substance (powder or liquid), which is often impossible to buy in the retail network. In order for refilling printers to be economically worthwhile and not become a “headache” for you, it is better to contact a specialized company. Typically, refilling services for a copier or printer do not cost too much and take minimal time.

Often, after refilling an inkjet printer cartridge, a problem appears due to the fact that while using this consumables the paint begins to gradually flow out, leaving both dirty streaks and streaky spots on the paper. For this reason, the following questions arise: why does the cartridge leak and what to do in this case? In general, it is easier to avoid a problem than to look for the reason why ink leaks out when refilling a cartridge and then fix it. To do this, it is better to give it for refilling at service center, where knowledgeable and experienced craftsmen work. They are able to solve the problem associated with refilling a cartridge in a short time and at the same time provide a guarantee for the work performed.

To fill the ink cartridge yourself and avoid possible problems with their leakage, you should strictly follow the instructions and in no case rush, doing all the work carefully and painstakingly. To do this, you can, for example, use a special refill kit.

Ink cartridges

If your inkjet printer cartridge does start to leak, first of all, it would be good to find out about its structure so that identifying the cause of such a problem does not become a time-consuming task. An inkjet cartridge is a consumable item that includes a section designed for ink and a contact group with a chip that controls the nozzles associated with the print head. Cartridges of this type, depending on the inkjet printer model, may have one or several sections. There is one section for black and white printers, and several for color printers.

The ink cartridge cap has air holes that are specifically designed to maintain a stable level of pressure inside the container. The shades with which this or that section of this consumable is filled (if there are several of them) are also indicated there. In addition, there are holes on the lid through which they can be filled using a syringe. Each ink compartment has an absorbent sponge or air bags and valves.

It should also be added that some manufacturers modern printers Inkjet devices are equipped with special microcircuits (chips). It is their presence that makes it difficult both to refill consumables and to use a non-original cartridge. Consequently, such a step on the part of the manufacturer forces printer users to purchase new consumables.

Why is the cartridge leaking?

If you notice that ink is leaking after refilling the cartridge, then first remove this consumable from the printer and remove all remaining ink. Having pulled out the refilled cartridge, pay attention to the sticker that covers the refill hole - it must fit snugly enough to the surface. If you have refilled the cartridge 3-4 or more times, then it is probably time to change the sticker.

Thus, if a cartridge leaks, first of all pay attention to how well and tightly the holes through which it is refilled are closed. The problem can occur even if you use tape. In this regard, it is better to opt for special films or stickers that really adhere well to the plastic surface.

Another probable and satisfied common reason The reason why ink leaks out when refilling a cartridge is because it exceeds the required amount. That is, if you overfill a certain level, then you cannot avoid this problem. Therefore, it is recommended to pour paint into the container very slowly and do not fill it to capacity. In addition, if you refill the consumables of an inkjet printer really correctly, you should not insert the entire length of the syringe needle into the container - 1/3 of it is quite enough. After refilling, it is recommended to leave the cartridge for approximately 10 hours. This is necessary so that the ink is distributed throughout the cartridge as evenly as possible, otherwise you will get a print. good quality it will be very difficult.

If none of the recommendations listed above helped, then you should carefully check its body. Cartridges used 5-6 or more times may develop defects. During their operation, there is a possibility of small cracks appearing on them, which cause ink to leak outside the container. The only solution to this problem is to purchase new consumables. In general, you need to change the inkjet printer cartridge approximately every 5-6 refills. In addition, you should inspect devices whose purpose is to ensure the supply of ink to the printer.

In general, with a competent and thorough approach, finding the cause of ink leakage from a cartridge is not as difficult as it might seem at first glance. But in most cases, you may need to purchase new consumables. In addition, if you have the finances, you can turn to the specialists of any service center for help to solve the problem of a leaking cartridge.

Possible faults cartridges inkjet printers and ways to eliminate them

1. After refilling the cartridge, ink flows out of its nozzles profusely

A possible reason is a loosely sealed cartridge filling hole. This only applies to those cartridges that require the filling hole to be sealed. In this case, air penetrates into the internal cavity of the cartridge and the necessary vacuum is not formed to keep the ink from flowing out.

To eliminate the defect, remove the old adhesive tape or plug from the cartridge filling hole. Then carefully clean the edges of the filling hole and seal it tightly with transparent tape, making sure that no air cavities form underneath. To eliminate ink leakage from the cartridge nozzles, place a napkin on them, turn the cartridge over with the nozzles down and leave it for a while until the leak stops. This algorithm is valid for cartridges that do not have special holes for “bleeding”, for example, HP51641, HP51645.

In cartridges of the series HP51626, HP51629, HP51633, etc., if there are signs of the indicated defect, it is necessary to perform the “bleeding” procedure, adhering to a certain algorithm (see chapters on refilling these types of cartridges).

The next possible cause of the defect may be a violation of the tightness of the cartridge body (microcracks). In this case, the cartridge needs to be replaced.

2. After installing a refilled cartridge, the printer does not print, and the Error or Ink Out indicator lights up

Possible reason: the cartridge is installed incorrectly.

First, study the “Replacing Ink Cartridges” section of the instruction manual for a specific printer and follow all the recommended steps for replacing them. Then check to see if all sticky stickers have been removed from the cartridge body, which in some cartridge models may temporarily seal the ventilation holes.

If during installation of the cartridge you touched the contact pads and nozzles located on the cartridge body with your fingers, wipe the nozzles with a cloth moistened with a special cleaning fluid for inkjet printers, and contact pads can be cleaned with alcohol.

3. After installing a refilled cartridge, the printer does not print, and the Error or Ink Out indicator may light up, although all the recommendations in step 2 have been followed

A possible reason is that the cartridge was exposed to negative temperatures or was in an “inconvenient” position for a long time, so there was an outflow of ink from the print head inside. In this case, install the cartridge on the printer at room temperature and leave it in this position for some time (about 6 hours), then print a control page and, if necessary, perform several “cleaning cycles”.

The next possible cause of the defect is that after refilling the cartridge, the ink did not have time to completely saturate the porous material inside the body and did not seep through the capillaries to the print head. In this case, leave the cartridge on the printer for a day, periodically performing a “cleaning cycle”.

4. After installing a refilled cartridge, the printer prints, but the print quality is unsatisfactory (gaps are visible in the image)

A possible cause of the defect is that after installing the cartridge, the “cleaning cycle” was not performed or it was not performed an insufficient number of times.

Perform the required number of “cleaning cycles” until the defect is eliminated; in all other cases, they are guided by cleaning algorithms specifically for each type of cartridge.

If during the installation of the cartridge you touched the contact pads and nozzles located on its body with your fingers, wipe the nozzles with a cloth moistened with a special washing liquid for inkjet printers, and the contact pads can be cleaned with alcohol.

Also, a possible cause of the defect may be the effect of negative temperatures on the cartridge or it was in an “inconvenient” position for a long time, so there was an outflow of ink from the print head inside. In this case, install the cartridge on the printer at room temperature, leave it for some time (about 6 hours), then print a control page and, if necessary, perform several “cleaning cycles.”

5. Gradual deterioration in the print quality of the printer, while the cartridge was not removed from the printer. The colors on the test print fade over time or disappear altogether.

A possible cause of the defect is that the cartridge is running out of ink. In this case, refill it or replace it with a new one. It is recommended to refill the cartridge without waiting for the ink to run out.

6. The day before, the printer printed well, but now the print quality is unsatisfactory (gaps are visible in the image), and the cartridge was not removed from the printer

A possible cause of the defect is that the previous day, as a result of an accidental failure of the electronics, at the end of work, the print head of the printer was not installed in the position safe storage(not “parked”). As a result, air access to the print head nozzles was opened and the ink in their channels dried out. In this case, perform (if necessary several times) a “cleaning cycle” of the cartridge until the defect is eliminated. If the defect remains, perform the cartridge restoration procedure (see section “Restoring dried out printheads”).

Besides, possible reasons malfunctions may be a defect in the electronic part of the cartridge and the exhaustion of its resource. This cartridge requires replacement.

7. After installing a refilled cartridge of the second type, the print quality is unsatisfactory; performing a “cleaning cycle” does not improve print quality

A possible cause of the defect is that the cartridge was removed from the printer for more than one minute. As a result, air access to the thin channels of the print head, which remains in the printer, was open for a long time (see above) and the air dried out the remaining ink in thin channels print head. Some channels are blocked.

In this case, perform (if necessary several times) a “cleaning cycle” of the cartridge until the defect is eliminated. If the defect remains, perform the cartridge restoration procedure (see section “Restoring dried out printheads”).

8. The ink in the cartridge runs out before the ink low indicator indicates this.

A possible cause of the defect is that the absorbent properties of the porous sponge located inside some cartridges gradually decrease with repeated refills. In this case, the amount of ink accepted by the cartridge becomes less than that of a new cartridge. Therefore, printing should run out of ink faster than before. And the indicator, executed programmatically, is initially configured exclusively for new cartridge and cannot display the actual ink level in a refilled cartridge.

In this case, refill the cartridge immediately after the ink quantity indicator shows half the level, without waiting for the actual ink in the cartridge to run out. Stop refilling the cartridge when ink bubbles appear in the refill hole. Immediately after refilling, the software resets the ink level indicator to its initial state, as when installing a new cartridge.

9. The printer prints a dirty, “blurry” image

A possible cause of the defect is that dirt has accumulated on the working surface (nozzles) of the print head in the form of paper dust soaked in ink, which stains the paper during the printing process.

In this case, remove the cartridge and clean the dirt with a cloth moistened with a special washing liquid. It is recommended to perform this cleaning periodically to extend the life of the print head.

Why doesn't the cartridge print after refilling?

So, you refilled the ink cartridge, inserted it into the printer, and the printer either refuses to print and gives an error, or prints but the sheets come out blank (or the colors are incorrect). What could be the problem and how can I try to solve it?

These problems mainly arise with those HP and Canon printers that have only two cartridges: black and color (three-color). This is due to the fact that the cartridge itself is a print head with an ink tank in one housing. This system has several "weak" points:

1. The print head itself, namely the nozzles. These are very small diameter channels. The consequence of the small diameter is rapid drying during downtime and clogging with various contaminants.
2. Print cartridge electronics. The very principle of operation of HP and Canon thermal inkjet cartridges involves heating the ink in the nozzles to “spit out” the drops. Therefore, if for some reason there is no ink in the channel, the print head overheats and partial or complete failure of the electronics and, accordingly, the entire cartridge.

Now let's try to determine the reason why the cartridge does not print and try to make it work. To begin with, let’s agree that you have refilled the ink into the cartridge and there is ink there.

The first thing you need to do after refilling is to check whether ink flows through the print head nozzles. To do this, take a refilled cartridge and a clean paper napkin. We place the napkin on a flat surface and lean the cartridge with the printing part against the napkin for a few seconds, then remove the cartridge to the side and see what we got (Here you need to be careful because the ink can quickly saturate the napkin and stain the tablecloth under the napkin, so it’s better put something non-absorbent under the napkin).

You can see the result of these actions in the table

	Partially or completely missing color	Fingerprint of a working cartridge, all colors are present without gaps
Black cartridge
Color cartridge

If you see clear stripes of ink on the napkin, one black or triple color (yellow+red+blue together), it means the cartridge is refilled and the ink flows well through the channels. This cartridge should print.

If there is no ink print on the napkin at all, or it is intermittent, or (in the case of a color cartridge) there are more than three color stripes in the print, then there is an obvious problem with the ink supply to the print head.

There are three reasons:

1) No ink

2) Air lock in the print head channels

3) Drying of the print head channels

There are three options for solving problems with the ink cartridge system:

1. In case of an air lock, it can be used to bleed the cartridge and remove air from the print head channels. The cartridge must be inserted into the device and, using the included syringe, remove air from the print head until drops of ink appear in the syringe.

   If you don’t have this device and need to print, you can try to force the air out of the print head by shaking the cartridge like a mercury thermometer. When using this method You need to first wrap the lower printing part of the cartridge with a napkin or something else so as not to splatter everything around with ink, and do this in the bathroom.

1. You can try to soak dry printer head channels. There are special flushing fluids for this, for example here. You can also use improvised means, for example, “Mr. Muscle” in green has proven itself well. The only problem with using improvised flushes is that it is impossible to 100% predict the result of the reaction of the liquid at hand and the internal parts of the cartridge. Special washings are guaranteed safety.

In general, washing inkjet cartridges is a topic for a separate article.

After all the procedures, your cartridge should leave these prints on the napkin.

This means that the ink supply is working properly.

The cartridge leaves a print on the napkin but the printer still does not print, why?

1) Electrical problems

The ink system of the cartridge is working properly, but in order for the printer to print, it must also be working properly. electrical system ink cartridge HP or Canon.

If, after installing a refilled cartridge into the carriage, the printer displays a message that the cartridge is faulty or missing, you can try to remove the cartridge from the printer and carefully wipe the golden electrical contacts of the cartridge with a rubber eraser or alcohol (followed by drying).

It is also useful to look inside the printer in the carriage (this is the place where

Cartridges are installed) and check the electrical contacts there as well. Often everything in the carriage is stained with ink at the contact points - this is the reason for the cartridge not working. Naturally, you need to wipe the contacts in the printer with the power cord disconnected from the electrical network.

2) Problems of overfilling the cartridge.

Quite often this situation occurs: after refilling a cartridge with ink, when checking, a clear print remains on a napkin (either black or three-color), but the cartridge does not print, or does not print in all colors. The reason may be a simple excess of ink in the foam sponge of the cartridge. A sign of such an overabundance is the formation of a drop of ink from the bottom of the cartridge at the outlet holes (when you lift the cartridge, you see ink oozing from the cartridge). This shouldn't happen! The cartridge should not leak in a calm state!

The explanation is quite simple. When printing, an accumulated drop of ink prevents the droplets from shooting onto the paper and can leave blots.

If you have all the signs of refilling, simply pump out some ink and make sure that nothing leaks from the cartridge and that after wiping with a napkin, the nozzle part of the cartridge remains clean.

Important notes!

If the printer detects the cartridge, but shows that the ink is low, there is no need to worry. The whole point is that no ink level sensor in the cartridge , of course, no, and a printer doesn't know that you refilled this cartridge. You just need to ignore the messages about the lack of ink and print calmly.

If the cartridge is detected by the printer and gives good prints on a napkin, but blank sheets come out when printing, most likely the cartridge is electrically faulty and nothing can be done about it. Buy a new cartridge, for example, and refill it on time, avoiding printing with a “dry” cartridge.